1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of headwear and, more particularly, to a headband and headwear including the same for automatically fitting a range of head sizes while remaining comfortable for extended wear.
2. Description of the Related Art
A baseball style cap generally includes a crown main body, a visor portion secured to the forward edge of the crown and extending outwardly therefrom, a headband attached to the lower part of the inside of the crown, and a size controller attached to an underside of the rear of the cap. The size controller is used to adapt the size of the cap which can be inconvenient as multiple size adjustments may be necessary.
In view of this inconvenience, so-called “free size” caps have been constructed which do not include separate size controlling portions. Instead, size adjustability is obtained through the elasticity of various portions of the cap. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,572 discloses a baseball-style cap in which two or more sheets of cloth among those used to make the crown portion are connected to one another with elastic material and coupled with an elastic headband which can be expanded to accommodate various head sizes without the need for a size controller. It has been found, however, that such a cap exerts pressure against the wearer's head which can become uncomfortable after the cap is worn for an extended period of time.
Accordingly, a need exists for a free-size cap having a stretchable headband that can accommodate a wide range of head sizes without imposing undue pressure on the wearer so as to remain comfortable over extended time periods.